The Philippines in 2021: The Decline of the House of Duterte?

Author(s)/Editor(s): Paul Hutchcroft and Ronald D. Holmes
Publication year: 2022
Publication type: Article
Find this publication at: JSTOR

This analysis is organized into five main sections, examining (a) how the Philippines handled the universal challenges of pandemic management, with particular focus on three key issues the country faced in 2021: quarantine regulations, vaccine roll-out, and scandals over procurement of medical supplies; (b) the positive but very tentative upturn in the economy after the deep recession of 2020; (c) important shifts in Duterte’s foreign policy pronouncements, as well as ongoing efforts to fend off prosecutors from the International Criminal Court; (d) major political trends of 2021, focusing on the extraordinary dynamics in the lead-up to May 2022 elections; and (e) political developments in other spheres as well, the sum total of which highlight grave and ongoing threats to the viability of Philippine democracy. It is on this very sombre note that we conclude.